Steve Leveen, founder of Levenger (purveyor of fine reading and writing tools), reproduced in bookend form, the typewriter of historian, David McCullough. For today's post, I've excerpted a portion of what Steve Leveen and Levenger Press Editor, Mim Harrison shared on Steve's blog Well-Read Life on December 3, 2009. It speaks for itself.“I don’t want to go faster,” writes David McCullough. “If anything, I probably ought to go more slowly.”
The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author (Truman, John Adams) and recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the National Book Foundation may be talking about the way he types, but David McCullough is revealing how he thinks.
“When rewriting, I’m not just typing it all over again, I’m thinking through it again, rethinking, rewording where need be, saying it a little differently on second thought.”
And David McCullough is not typing on a computer. He’s using the pre-digital dinosaur that requires a considerable force of those digits called fingers: the typewriter. Not even a zippy electric version, but a 1940s vintage Royal manual typewriter that he bought second-hand in the 1960s.
So if you want to know how it is that David McCullough’s books always hit the New York Times bestseller lists, capture Pulitzers, and have never gone out of print, it just may be this old machine.
The mind of the machine
When Mr. McCullough graciously agreed to let us reproduce his typewriter as a bookend, we thought the story would be about the machine. But the real story is how an accomplished mind works—not at the speed of a computer, but at a pace that’s thoughtful, deliberate, contemplative. The machine helps set the pace.
And so you have to wonder: What would happen if we all slowed our thinking down a bit, if we dialed it back to the point where we were actually thinking rather than scrolling and texting, and cutting and pasting? Would we all trade in our laptops/notebooks/smart phones for a typewriter?
Probably not. But it would do us good to remember that machines are supposed to make our lives better, not faster. Perhaps we should unplug just a little before we become undone. Such decompression is why we think so many Levenger customers savor the pensive pause of the fountain pen (which David McCullough also uses).
In fact, Thomas Mallon, who just wrote a book on the letters famous people have written through the centuries, maintains that pens and typewriters have more in common than do typewriters and computers. Typewriting reveals its own quirks of the writer, much like penwriting. Computers can make us all look the same.
Here’s how David McCullough looks on his typewriter; he takes the typed sheets and edits them by hand:
Another writer, Carl Honore, realized the value of slow when he found himself contemplating 60-second bedtime stories to read to his toddler. He caught himself in time. “The secret is balance: instead of doing everything faster, do everything at the right speed,” he advises.
He and his typewriter are, in fact, currently at work on his new book about Americans in Paris. What do you want to bet that as soon as it’s published, that slowly written book will hit the New York Times bestseller list in no time flat.
I hope I've continued to pique your interest on typewriters with this second in a series (see Writers and Their Typewriters #1).
Do you have a typewriter? If not a typewriter, what do you do or use to achieve a slower pace for better thinking? And last, did you know you can blog with a typewriter? The technique is called "typecasting," but more on that later.
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteWhen picturing some old typewriters, the first thing I thought about was, "Murder She Wrote". That was the classic typewriter. I remember when the electric typewriters came out, wow how advanced! Then IBM came out with an electric typewriter that used an 'element' which was a sphere with all the letters and symbols needed to type a 'quick' note. Only problem with those typewriters, they didn't make corrections and that could take forever. But they are beautiful to look at and even more beautiful when you think about the talented writers who used them to write their stories. I wonder how many school kids would know what any of Mr. McCullough's editing marks meant! Heck, most of those kids can't read or write anyway! Enjoyed your blog. Thanks. Judy
Thanks, Judy. It's amazing what recall I have from early years of typing. Words like platen, carriage return, warning bell, margin release, and if I thought long and hard enough more would come to mind, especially if I had a typewriter to explore even with shut eyes. And I remember IBM's balls of many fonts that were interchangeable. The electric was so sophisticated compared to the heavy machines I learned on. I relish when I come across a talented/acclaimed writer who shares the spotlight with his trusted companion of metal. As always, Judy, it pleases me no end to see you listed in my comments. Many thanks.
DeleteHi Donna, My Mother made me take typeing in high school. Why I asked..you may need it someday, again she was right. I remember our old type writer and all the noise it made. I sounded like you were getting something done. I wasn't very fast, i didn't have good hands!
ReplyDeleteMothers have so much wisdom packed into them. I had to chuckle when I read your old typewriter made much noise––a lot of clacks, wasn't it. And yes, you got something done and watched the process the whole time and swore when you made a mistake and had to white out and sometimes your thoughts went faster than your fingers and somehow it all worked out. Whew! Fast hands. A fast draw––they do magic all the time. Thanks for your comment.
DeleteTo answer your question, I do have access to a typewriter, but I don't use it to write extensively. My writing is technical so I need the mechanical advantage of word processing.
ReplyDeleteBut when I need to capture the essence of a meeting discussion, or a presentation at conference, or just composing ideas in my head, I use a fountain pen on grainy paper. Pen and paper force me to slow down, giving me time to select the most important words to write, and to write them legibly and attractively. Then, at my first opportunity, I go back to my notes to add and to edit. This process is not only enjoyable but remarkably more effective than tappping away on a laptop.
Thank you for your insightful post.
RB
Well, RB, I'm pleased to know you have a typewriter!!!! Don't you wonder how technical writing got done before computers? Don't you think they had a way to do it besides leaving a lot of white space for the writer to fill in with pen and ink?
DeleteYou introduce the use of fountain pens, something near and dear to me if you've been following my posts. The FP has so many similar rewards as that of a typewriter.
Thank you for your comment. Have a cool and dry week.